Free Lunch
by the.Merines
Summary: Mitsugi Jirou is a pathetic human being. When a pair of younger students take a multifaceted interest in him, the three of them start down a path towards responsibility and adulthood.
1. Missed Lunch

Title: Free Lunch  
Started: 11.21.06 22:51  
Finished: 11.24.06 22:13  
Author: Sakurai Senzou, the Merines

Note from the author: This is a work of original fiction, which is _inspired_ by the various anime I've watched. Perhaps I'm just posting this so the people waiting for my Rozen Maiden or EVA fics to be updated will know what I've been up to...

… denotes narration  
--- denotes a change of time and/or scenery  
Italicized sentences are thoughts.

---

In the crisp morning air, a boy walks down the sidewalk alone. He is tall by Japanese standards at 188 centimeters, though his slumping, thin shoulders give him a lanky way of walking. He checks the time on his cell phone. For whatever reason he feels like wearing a watch is something that only businessmen and old folks do.

The time is 7:58. The boy smiles cryptically- or so he likes to think. To any casual observer he would just look crazy.

_This is the perfect time of day._

He shoves his hands deep into the pockets of his blue jeans. He vaguely realizes that his "probably one size too small" black KISS T-shirt definitely isn't enough protection against the cool wind, but the fact doesn't really bother him. After the band swept through Japan the previous winter, KISS was all the rage with high school girls, just as they had been off and on for thirty years.

He runs a hand through his short black hair, which juts out oddly in certain directions despite its length. This is not some kind of hairstyle; it is simply how he awoke that morning. His hair is short for that reason- so he doesn't have to choose a hairstyle and maintain that look every day. The black skate shoes on his feet clap against the sidewalk in a regular rhythm.

In his mind he is the epitome of American style. In actuality he is some tall, scrawny guy who sticks out and blends in at the same time. He sits down on a bench. Not just any bench, though. This bench has been specifically chosen for a special purpose. Its location is one which has been staked out for months. Its very existence has been handed down from young man to young man for nigh on four years now.

The bench is nine years old. So, one must wonder why the bench became such a landmark in the past four years of its life.

Mitsugi Jirou sits down casually, pulling his foot up over his opposing knee and letting it rest there. From his backpack he pulls out an American magazine and begins to read it. The setup, in his mind at least, is perfect. The time is perfect. Everything is perfect- the same way it has been for three days now. Jirou mentally sighed.

_Three days of work with no results. Today, on the fourth day, I will succeed._

Sitting in the exact area between two train stations and a four-year old local high school, Mitsugi Jirou waits for his next… first… chance.

…

That was how the story started, in Jirou's mind at least.

Mitsugi Jirou is a pathetic excuse for a human being. Sitting there on that bench, freshly returned from yet another trip to America to visit his parents, he attempts to pick up high school girls on their way to school. Jirou himself is two years past his own high school graduation.

…

Chapter 01: Missed Lunch

"Helloooo? Jirou-senpai?" The older boy looked up slowly, his eyes focused on something far, far in the distance that probably didn't exist. Next to him sat his acquaintance, Tanaka Kentaro. The younger one was thin like Jirou, but a relatively normal 162 centimeters in height. He wore a simple untucked white buttoned shirt with a dark green tie and black pants: a school uniform. His hair was longer than Jirou's but still short, pulled into even clumps by sticky hair gel. Kentaro leaned in front of his companion's face and looked into his blank eyes.

Finally, he tapped lightly on the center of Jirou's forehead. The older one's eyes slowly came back into focus. A few long moments later, he finally realized that he was not alone on his bench. "Oooh," he drawled, his voice scratchy from disuse.

"Jirou-senpai, are you OK?"

"What time is it?"

"Everyone who was walking towards the stations gave you strange looks."

"'Towards'? Time, what is?" Kentaro checked his watch, prompting a grim frown from Jirou.

"About four in the afternoon, I guess." Jirou tilted his head back and slowly drew in a large breath of air through his nose. "I guess your plan was unsuccessful today as well, considering how spaced out you were. Don't tell me you've been sitting there since this morning." Kentaro didn't speak with a word of surprise; his elder was a very weird person with an infinite number of quirks, none of which were handsome or endearing.

"Yeah," Jirou responded as he let the breath out. He stared up at the budding maple leaves on the tree above the bench. "After so much planning, even going so far as to advertise the fact that I'm bilingual and have just come back from a trip abroad… This is 'no success number four'."

"Perhaps you're expecting too much from them," the voice of reason Kentaro suggested. "You of all people should know that most Japanese wouldn't approach you just for those reasons, even _if_ they somehow noticed them." Jirou still stared upward, a discontent frown spreading across his face.

"I thought high school girls these days were easily infatuated with foreigners."

"'These days'? It's only been a couple years since you graduated, senpai. Girls haven't changed _that_ much. Besides, you hardly look like a foreigner."

"Jeez… I thought I had found the perfect way to introduce myself to girls…"

"To do that you would have to approach a girl first, senpai," Kentaro pointed out in an even, nonjudgmental tone.

"Hmm…"

"You realize that's the root of this particular problem, right?"

"It's not a problem."

"Even if you don't admit it, it's still a problem. Besides the fact that you're…" Jirou's eyes narrowed as his acquaintance trailed off.

"That I'm… what?" he questioned.

"A NEET," came the smooth and bitter truth from Kentaro's voicebox.

"Oh, that," nonchalantly replied Jirou.

"You shouldn't brush that fact aside so easily, senpai. Did you fill out those university applications I gave you last week?" Jirou, _still_ staring upwards (though now past the tree and up at the afternoon sky), scratched his cheek. "I assume that's a negative answer."

"You should never assume; it makes an ass out of you and me."

"Huh?" Finally Jirou brought his chin back down to Earth and smiled at his friend.

"Nevermind, it's kind of an English play on words… kind of thing. Even though it's only one word, though… I can't remember the exact term."

"See, senpai? You are really intelligent! They say English is one of the hardest languages to learn. You can speak better English than most of my teachers. Why not try to become an English teacher?"

"Because I can't stand kids," Jirou swiftly countered.

"You can teach high school English!" Kentaro replied with the same quickness. Jirou opened his mouth, but his companion interrupted him. "And before you try to say that you can't stand high school _kids, _keep in mind the fact that you sat here all day waiting for one of those exact same high school _kids_ to approach you so you can have some kind of female social contact."

Without missing a beat, Jirou said, "Oh, I thought you'd get mad because I implied you were a kid."

"I am a kid… compared to you, Ojisan." Kentaro couldn't help but laugh a little at his own joke, even though Jirou had no reaction besides an unrelated yawn.

"Right about now I should be getting a letter from a long-lost aunt, who is on her deathbed and needs me to watch her all-female dorm. Or an acceptance letter to an all-girl university which got put into the wrong envelope and arrived with my bank statement…" Jirou sighed loudly.

"You read too much manga, senpai."

"That, young man, I admit to be true," he stated with a reserved nod. "What a waste of a day."

"Oh, did you have something planned?" Kentaro piped up again, suddenly curious if his senior was making some kind of turnaround in behavior.

"Yeah, I was supposed to meet some girl this morning and walk her home tonight. Oh! Your parents are away on business? Mine as well! And they left you home alone? Well, that's not a _bad _thing. I'll step up and be your bodyguard." Jirou laughed raucously as the conversation continued in his muddled brain.

"You have serious issues, senpai," a disappointed Tanaka Kentaro spoke to deaf ears.

"Someone's looking awfully cheerful today!" Jirou suddenly sat straight up at the female voice, but slumped over once more when he recognized its source. "Jeez, Hikikomori-chii, don't look so happy to see me."

"I am _not_ a hikikomori, and I recall asking you before to stop using that phrase around me!" Jirou objected, suddenly jumping to his feet. Tanaka Hikari stood her ground firmly, though Jirou was much taller than she. Her black hair was pulled back in a single ponytail, with a few stray strands escaping to the left side of her forehead. She wore a white shirt and dark green tie just like Kentaro, though her sensible-length black skirt and long stockings set her apart from him. Her breasts were a large B-cup, by Jirou's estimations. After just a few moments of mental battle, Jirou was defeated and fell back to the bench.

"Hey, sister. Newspaper club ended early today?" Kentaro asked softly. She smiled and nodded at him. His younger twin sister, Hikari, had recently become interested in his older friend Jirou. She shoved her body between Kentaro's and Jirou's, intentionally rubbing her thigh against Jirou's. Jirou scrunched himself against the bench's armrest, but found it to be nothing more than an encumbrance to his escape.

"Jirou-chii, how come you're always slinking away from me like that?" her soft voice called, sending shivers down Jirou's back.

"You're only sixteen, Hikari-san; that's why!" he explained in a strained voice.

"Even someone as lecherous as him has to have _some_ kind of minimum age limit," Kentaro added with a light chuckle. Hikari leaned towards her target, pushing her breasts against his arm.

"Oh, Jirou-chii, when will you come to realize that a four year difference in age is no big deal?" she pouted.

"It's simply a matter of principle," he said through gritted teeth. "Ask me again when I'm 24 and you're 20. Rookie, can't you do something? She is your twin sister, right? Don't you have some kind of subliminal link with her that you can use to take over her body?" Kentaro smiled happily.

"That's only for emergencies."

"This **is** an emergency!" he cried as Hikari nuzzled his shoulder.

"And on that happy note, I'm going to get some juice. You guys want some?"

"Peach for me!" Hikari cheerfully replied as she wrapped her arms around Jirou's, seemingly doing everything in her power to be as close as physically possible to him.

"Yes, please abandon me in this hopeless situation," Jirou added despondently.

"OK, so it's peach for Hikari and Yakult for Jirou?" Kentaro asked with a smile before disappearing in the direction of some vending machines.

"How can you drink that stuff?" Hikari asked after a moment of silence, slowly inching away from Jirou's stiff carcass.

"It's good for intestinal health. Because I'm not a good cook and I live alone, my stomach is assaulted with all kinds of foodstuffs not normally intended or designed for human consumption. Yakult helps me take care of my stomach and digest these food-like items," he replied as he brushed his shirt off.

"With the ease of that explanation, it seems like you've been asked that question before," she said in a modest tone that was far too similar to her brother's to seem acceptable to Jirou.

"Hey! A lot of people drink Yakult! It's very popular!" he yelled in defense of his preferred beverage.

"I could come over and cook for you sometime, ya know. I'm actually a pretty decent cook; just ask Kentaro!"

"It's pointless!" he yelled, holding up a hand between them. "I couldn't ask you to do that. We've only know each other for a few months."

"I offered! How can you say no to someone offering a well-cooked meal, especially after you just complained about how horrible your cooking is? Kentaro can accompany me if you're worried that _something_ would happen."

An image of Hikari unbuckling his belt as his hands and feet were tied, a baseball bat in the background and a huge bump on his head, popped into his head as loud 'DOOOOM' sound rang out. His face suddenly paled.

"I've purged my mind of all thoughts about girls younger than eighteen," Jirou responded nervously. Hikari thoughtfully put a finger to her mouth.

"Oh, I always thought you'd be one of those lolicon types, ya know?" With a cry of resignation, Mitsugi Jirou fell forward onto the ground face first. "Those kinds of theatrics only happen in manga, ya know. Keep doing that kind of thing and you'll break a bone."

"No… only my pride," he muttered from the pavement.

"Oh, I see we're having a good time," Kentaro stated lightly as he returned. He handed Hikari her can of juice. "And one Yakult for senpai's stomach condition," he added as he placed the small bottle on Jirou's upended rear.

"Thank you," he grunted as he finally pulled himself off the ground, but only after a couple women walked by and pointed out the tall, narcoleptic kid on the ground. "So, you're in the Newspaper Club, Hikari-san?"

"You don't have to call me 'Hikari-_san_', ya know," she muttered as she rolled her eyes. "But yes, I am. I'm the club vice president's assistant."

"Oh, such a high position," Jirou noted sarcastically.

"For a first-year member, yes. Unfortunately it keeps me away from my beloved Jirou-chii, who only appears in the afternoons after school for some reason."

_Thank God Kentaro hasn't told her my reason for being here. Even if she is only sixteen, she's the only female contact I have. To understand women… is a man's greatest achievement._

"Oh, he comes here in hopes that some third-year student will hit on him," Kentaro explained casually. "But lately he's been coming before class as well." Hikari turned from her brother to look at Jirou, whose face was nothing short of that of Death itself. He was mortification personified. However, Hikari simply shrugged.

"So he's shy. That's so cute! At least he's out here trying instead of sitting at home on his PC looking at online personals all day." Jirou remained mortified as he remembered doing just that for a period of six months just after graduation.

"It's getting kinda late. We should be on our way," Kentaro said quietly.

"Jirou-chii, my offer still stands," Hikari stated as she stood. "Call me anytime! Oh, but not tonight. I'm having a meeting with some of my club members to discuss the end-of-semester issue coming up."

"Any outgoing females? I _could_ drop by, in that case- Ow…" he whimpered as she flicked him gently on his forehead.

"See ya," Kentaro said with a wave.

"Bye-bye!" added his sister.

---

Mitsugi Jirou walked home in the same manner as the morning: hands shoved in his pockets, checking his cell for the time every so often. His mind was nearly blank, as usual. After all, concentrating on today's failures would only lead to the same result tomorrow.

_So my whole life is a failure, then?_

It was Tuesday, so he entered the convenience store on the same block as his apartment building. The attendant greeted him cheerfully; most of the workers knew his face well. He did the same thing every Tuesday. He filled out a form to receive a wire transfer from his parents. Although he knew this was a factor in his NEET lifestyle, he didn't mind. Turning down free money was like turning down…

_Like turning down a free meal? Nah…_

Well, free money was a good thing.

Afterwards he returned to his small apartment on the fifth floor of a ten story building. In his mind it was kind of a symbol of his life, where everything was in the middle. Nothing was particularly good or bad about his life. Jirou lived alone as a NEET while his parents supplied him with money. Both of them had moved to America to pursue their careers after he had graduated.

Or, more precisely, his parents left _on_ his graduation day. They came to his graduation ceremony with their suitcases.

_But who am I to berate their odd behavior? The fruit never falls far from the tree, as the saying goes._

Jirou's apartment wasn't very large. The entry door was on the right side of the apartment, and the apartment spread forward and to the left of the door. The main living area was his bedroom, living room and dining room, all wrapped into one. The kitchen and bathroom were both on the far left side of the apartment, as one would see it entering from the door. His futon was on the ground in front of the wall which separated these two special rooms, thus making it the best place to be close to both the toilet and food. In the far right corner and across from the door was his TV, complete with his parent's old surround sound system (which featured two of five working speakers) and three gaming systems. On the wall to the right of the television was a shelf half-full of DVDs- mostly anime and samurai movies- and half-full of video games. To the TV's left was a rather tall bookshelf full of manga tankoubon. Piles of shounen, seinen and shoujo magazines were spread all over the floor of that area.

Directly in front of the TV and in the center of the room was a black couch. It was actually old and yellow; the black cloth was only a cover. A blanket lay next to the couch, as that was where Jirou had fallen asleep last night. Just behind the couch sat a simple old wood table and two chairs. On the table were a number of college applications (partially filled out), a small stack of bills, his laptop (the building was WiFi enabled and the service a part of rent), and more manga.

In the near left corner of the room, on the wall between the bathroom and the foyer, were two suitcases, a hamper full of dirty clothes, and a pile of empty cardboard boxes. Jirou was a big fan of buying things online, especially things from America. He always kept the boxes, just in case he decided to sell the product again later on.

As he stood in his kitchen, Jirou yawned and pulled a ham sandwich out of his fridge. This was _supposed_ to have been his lunch, but since he had spaced out all day long, he'd missed that opportunity. Oddly enough, he realized that he wasn't any more hungry than usual.

_Then again, sitting on a bench all day staring out into space probably doesn't burn that many calories._

After eating he realized that it was nearly nine p.m. The past four hours he'd spent reading new manga and playing games had passed quickly. He switched on his TV and watched his favorite anime for a couple hours, then fell asleep on his couch again.

---

What seemed like only a few moments later, Mitsugi Jirou was awakened by a pounding at his door. He immediately shivered and looked around the room. Finding nothing out of the ordinary (besides the furious pounding on his door), he approached the door, unlocked it and pulled it open.

He didn't even see her enter his apartment. Suddenly and inexplicably, Tanaka Hikari had her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him down just a little and pushing him back away from the door. After he got over her apparent teleportation, Jirou realized that she was crying, so much so that he could already feel the wet sensation seeping through his T-shirt. Behind the pair was Kentaro. Jirou noticed his face looked positively grim as his friend slowly closed the door. Kentaro silently removed his shoes and entered the apartment, taking a seat at the wood table.

Jirou was absolutely lost. Not only was he groggy due to the fact that he had just woken up, but he was totally confused at the situation which had been thrust upon him. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen a person cry so uncontrollably. Jirou wasn't sure what to do to comfort Hikari. He gingerly placed a hand on her back, loosely guiding her into the room. He slowly set her down on his couch, and she finally let go of him. She pulled a pillow against her face, muffling her sobbing.

After a few moments of indecision, Jirou took a seat next to the white-faced Kentaro.

"Kentaro… What happened?"

"I… I don't really know…" Jirou remained silent as he waited for a further explanation. The younger man swallowed hard before continuing, staring forward at nothing much like Jirou had earlier in the day. "I guess one of the Newspaper Club members was killed as she walked home from our house," he said with utmost care, pronouncing every word as if he was reading it out of an unfamiliar book. "The police decided we shouldn't stay be around the neighborhood for a couple days since our parents aren't around. Sorry… I couldn't think of anywhere else to go," the boy stated with a weak smile. "I ended up coming here based on your address in the phone book. Even though we've only known each other for a few months… None of my aunts or uncles live nearby…"

His counterpart held up his hand in protest. "Don't apologize. That's… Geez, I don't really… I've never been in this kind of situation…" Jirou stuttered. "By all means, both of you can stay here until you feel it's safe to return." Jirou was absolutely blown away by what had just occurred. He unsteadily rose and approached his futon. Reaching under the futon for a few moments, he finally extracted his hand. In his hand was-

"W-what is that?" Kentaro asked in a small, quiet voice.

"A SIG-Sauer P232." Jirou looked down the short titanium blue barrel of the handgun. "I bought it on a whim a few months ago and took some shooting lessons. After a while the recoil began hurting my arm so badly that I couldn't stand it… so I dropped out of the class." There was no sharp and disappointed-sounding response from Kentaro this time. On the contrary, he simply stared at the gun, his black eyes wide and afraid. Jirou still hadn't seen the boy blink.

_They really are just sixteen year old kids, high school freshmen. What changes a person in those short years… into a type of person like me? What changes a human from something that fears a gun into someone who feels so at ease holding one with minimal training? Am I really this strange of a person?_

"I only have a few rounds… It's just piece of mind, I suppose," Jirou muttered quietly, making up excuses as he went along.

_Why am I so embarrassed by this?_

"I guess I never really saw you as the kind of person who would own a gun," Kentaro explained slowly, showing some small signs of recovering from the shock.

"It's not really for protection or anything… Like I said, I bought it on an impulse." His shoulders slumped a bit. "I hope you don't think even less of me because of this thing." Kentaro weakly held up a hand in protest but said nothing. "In any case, the two of you should get to sleep. You've both got school in the morning…" Kentaro peered over his shoulder at the couch.

"Hikari already cried herself to sleep," he said in a bland tone.

_Poor girl._

"You can use my futon. I haven't slept there since before I washed it last, so it's clean…" Jirou stood and pulled his spare blanket over Hikari's sleeping form. He suppressed the urge to wipe the tears from her cheek.

"What about you?"

"Hm?" Jirou responded, pretending not to hear.

"What about you, senpai? Where're you going to sleep?" Jirou shivered again and finally realized that his window was open.

_That's weird. I don't remember opening the window. Must have been the wind._

He spun on his heel and faced Kentaro. "Don't worry about it. NEETs like me have a habit of sleepless nights. Oh, and maybe you could help me with these applications tomorrow…" Jirou trailed off as he heard a snoring sound. He realized that Kentaro had already collapsed onto his futon. "Geez… You must have been exhausted, Rookie."

Jirou set the gun inside an unused drawer in his kitchen before turning off all the apartment's lights. He waited patiently for his laptop to get up to speed, drinking another small bottle of Yakult. Wasting time was something he excelled at. Logging into his email account, he noticed a mail from an unfamiliar address. Usually this was some type of spam, but for some reason he felt compelled to open it.

'From that wonderful lunch we shared in Los Angeles? Wasn't it just glorious? It was the best day of my life. I'm coming to Japan for a semester. I want to find you. In fact, by the time you get this delayed email, I may already be in Japan. I'll find you, and perhaps we can share lunch again! Remember what you said, though.

'I'll only share my lunch with you.''

_That's weird… I wasn't anywhere near L.A. while I was visiting my parents. Could it be a case of mistaken identity? A mistyped email address?_

Try as he may, he couldn't recall anything about the events described in the email and eventually decided it must have been someone's mistake. However, by the wording of the mail, the writer seemed kinda… well, insane.

_And coming from me, that's an insult._

---

Later that morning Kentaro's eyes cracked open. For a few sleepy moments, he pondered his surroundings. The events of the previous night flooded back into his mind, and he began to feel a headache already growing in the back of his skull.

He squinted in the sunlight which poured through the apartment's window.

_Wait a sec; sunlight?! Crap! I'm gonna be so late to school!_

Kentaro jumped to his feet and was quickly greeted by his senior and his sister sitting at the small table in front of the couch. "Good morning," Jirou commented calmly from behind a newspaper.

"What time is it?!" Kentaro demanded.

"Check it yourself, Mr. Watch-wearer." Ken did as he was told.

"It's **10-freaking-thirtyyyyy**!" After the echo had died away, Hikari stood and placed a hand on her brother shoulder.

"Jirou-chii called the school. Of course they already knew the situation… and agreed that we are allowed to miss classes today," she explained in a sure and confident way. By her tone of voice Kentaro could tell that she was still shaken up over what had happened, but she seemed to be handling it well. "Why don't you sit down?" she asked as she did the same.

Kentaro finally noticed that Jirou was sitting on some kind of old barstool across from Hikari, with an empty chair sitting between them. Jirou pushed the chair out with his foot, though his face was still hidden behind the newspaper. "Jirou-chii even went out super-early and got us doughnuts and coffee."

"Actually I made the coffee, so don't expect Starbucks."

With a small smile on his face, Ken asked, "There's Yakult in this coffee, isn't there?" Jirou chuckled lightly behind the paper. Kentaro took a bold step forward and grabbed the coffee sitting in front of his chair. "Well then, here's to my stomach's health," he stated, then downed a quick gulp of the neurotoxin. "Wow, this actually isn't too bad."

"That's what I said," Jirou announced. After he allowed that snippet of information to permeate the room for a moment, he continued. "So later today we'll see if we can't swing by your house for some clothes. If that's OK, I mean." Kentaro gave a worried look at his sister.

"I'll be fine, if that's what that look means," she said. "I would _never_ wear the same clothes two days in a row." The attention of both twins slowly came to rest on Jirou, who was still hiding behind the paper.

"Jirou-senpai," Kentaro called. "How many days in a row has that outfit been through?" After a moment of thought, he responded.

"The shirt or the pants?"

Both twins fell back in their chairs, crying out in mutual disgust. Jirou pulled the paper down. "What the hell's wrong with that?! I'm a freakin' NEET; what do you expect?" he exclaimed in an intentionally humorous tone. Maybe on the inside he really was crying out against the label, but he wasn't ready to admit that fact at all. The two younger ones pulled themselves together. Kentaro stretched his arms above his head with a yawn.

"Oh!" Hikari suddenly cried out, pointing at Jirou.

"Now that really isn't a surprise to me," Kentaro stated, crossing his arms and nodding.

"W-what…?" Jirou asked quietly.

"Jirou-chii is wearing glasses!" Hikari squealed. True enough, a pair of square frameless glasses were sitting on the bridge of his nose.

"Oh, these? I have to wear them when I read," he explained in a simple tone. "This kind of thing happens to a lot of _old people_," he added, staring at a grinning Kentaro.

"Senpai, just don't forget to age gracefully."

"I'm only four years older than you, Rookie!" he countered; this was a mistake.

"A-ha!" Hikari yelled as she jumped to her feet. "You just said it! You just implied that four years isn't a large difference at all!"

If there was ever a way that a human face could look like a deer frozen in your headlights, this was the look on Jirou's face. Hikari skipped around the table and wrapped herself around Jirou's arm, causing him to drop the newspaper. Kentaro's chuckle grew into full-blown laughter. Jirou played along as Hikari taunted him.

_They're both in denial. As soon as we get to their home, this happy time will be over again. So who am I to point out that fact to them?_

End of Chapter 01.

Glossary of terms.

_Honorifics_  
-san (example: Hikari-san); usually used for a non-familiar person or meant to infer respect  
-kun (example: Kentaro-kun); usually and informally used to refer to a young man or younger/lower-ranking employee  
-chan (example: Hikari-chan); usually and informally used for children, young girls, or very old friends  
-senpai (example: Jirou-senpai); used by students or employees to refer to their seniors  
-chii (example: Jirou-chii); informally used by young girls as a cutesy corruption of –chan

_Other terms_  
Ojisan; an uncle or middle-aged manNEET; Not currently engaged in Employment, Education or Training  
First/second/third-year student; Japanese high schools consist of 10th, 11th and 12th grade  
Manga; Japanese word for comic and print cartoons  
Tanboukon; collections of a number of chapters of a specific manga title, usually totaling between 172 and 212 pages  
Shoujo, shounen, seinen; literally young/teenage girls, young/teenage boys, young men… These are classifications of types of manga based on the intended audience.  
Lolicon; Lolita complex, an attraction to prepubescent girls or an individual attracted to such a person  
Yakult; a yogurt-like drink which contains a bacteria that is naturally found in the digestive system and is supposed to be good for intestinal health. This is an inside joke for fans of the series Rozen Maiden. The drink has a natural citrus flavor.

Author's afternote: Well, hopefully this seems original enough to make you want to read more. Of all the characters, Jirou is based the most from my personal experiences as a super-quirky ronin. This chapter went as such: introduction, humor, drama, mystery, humor. The overall story is meant to be a slice of life type. The mystery is part of the first story arc, "The Email Lunch." Hope you enjoyed it!


	2. Shared Lunch

Title: Free Lunch  
Started: 11.25.06 17:43  
Finished: 11.28.06 15:03  
Author: Sakurai Senzou, the Merines

… denotes narration  
--- denotes a change of time and/or scenery  
Italicized are thoughts.

---

Just as Jirou thought, the twins Tanaka were sobered as they searched through their home for some important, necessary belongings. As he stood in the entryway of their small house, he felt strange. It was the first time in more months than he could remember that he had placed foot into the home of another human.

He felt like he was invading their privacy. Their house smelled so clean, the air so cool and fresh. Being in the home of another person wasn't something Mitsugi Jirou was used to. So he remained in their entryway, arms folded and head down, as they ran through their house.

Kentaro had once told Jirou that his parents were currently overseas on business, which is why the two of them had continued talking after their first encounter. So while Mr. and Mrs. Tanaka were away (which was apparently most of the time), their children were left alone and unattended.

Obviously, though, they had been raised well. Jirou knew both of them had grades in the top ten percent of their class. Hikari was a promising writer with a hope for Journalism. Even though Kentaro had decided against choosing a club during his first year of high school, he'd once remarked to Jirou that hanging around with an adult like him was "a learning experience worthy of being considered an extracurricular activity."

_Whether that was supposed to be a compliment or an insult… Well, the jury's still out._

A quick series of bangs from upstairs garnered Jirou's attention. He watched, unmoving, as a rather large suitcase fell down the two flights of stairs between the bedrooms upstairs and the ground floor. It eventually tumbled down and came to a halt in front of his feet.

…

Mitsugi Jirou is a self-proclaimed NEET. Tanaka Kentaro is a sixteen year old high school freshman who has taken a multi-faceted interest in Jirou. Kentaro's younger twin sister, Hikari, is experiencing her first encounter with the elusive thing humans call attraction.

These three people have been thrust under the roof of Mitsugi's apartment because of a horrifying murder. On the same night as this accident, Jirou received a mysterious email recounting an experience he does not recall. Is this really just a case of a mistyped address, or did something happen to Jirou in America?

Chapter 02: Shared Lunch

…

Hikari appeared at the top of the staircase. "Jirou-chii, why didn't you stop my suitcase from rolling down there? What if there were breakable treasures in there?" He shrugged nonchalantly.

"Then I would ask why you were taking them to my apartment."

"What if someone decided to break into our home when we were away? I'd never part with my breakable treasures."

"Jeez, you have a comeback for everything, don't you?" She smiled down at him, though some of her inner sadness and anxiety shined through. It was completely understandable, of course. One of her fellow club members had been killed. What else could she do besides put on a brave face?

_Though if she just continued crying like last night I wouldn't blame her either._

Jirou stared at the bulging suitcase for a few long moments before grabbing its handle and properly setting it on its bottom. It was surprisingly heavy. Hikari reappeared, carrying an identical case with both of her hands. A bemused Jirou simply watched as she dragged the bag down the stairs. "How in the world do you expect to carry both of these heavy bags all the way over to my apartment?"

"_You've_ got arms, don't you?" she asked in a sinisterly cute voice. Jirou took a defensive step back before deciding not to fight the inevitable.

"Yes, princess…" he grumbled. "Where's your brother?" As if on command, Kentaro stepped down onto the landing between the floors, a sheepish smile on his face.

"Uh, well it seems I have some business to attend to here. Bills to pay, calls to make: stuff like that," he explained as he put a hand behind his head. "You two go on ahead."

"A-aah… Are you sure that's a good idea?" Jirou quickly asked. Hikari shot him an evil glance. "I mean… Well, are you sure you'll feel OK being here alone? And walking home alone as well?"

"Well, this _is_ my home. Where else would I feel safer?"

_It's my safety that I'm more worried about…_

"You aren't hungry or anything? We could all share lunch together-"

"You and I can share a romantic lunch, Jirou-chii. No more objections!" Hikari happily exclaimed. "Let's get a move on, Jirou-chii! Grab a bag."

---

One half hour later…

"Arg! I'm totally maxed out…" wheezed Jirou. He set the identical bags down with a thud as his body ground to a halt.

"What's this? You're a man, aren't you?! Let's goooo! Show me that hunter spirit!" Hikari yelled. She stood a couple meters in front of the doubled-over Mitsugi with her hands on her hips.

"Any such spirit within me died long ago, killed off by modern conveniences…" he huffed. "Besides, how did I end up carrying both of them?"

"Are you sweating? It's barely enough to be considered warm out here. Aha!" A disgustingly genius idea had just popped into Hikari's brain, judging by the twinkle in her eye. "I know exactly how to recharge your energy."

"What could _possibly_ inspire me to do more heavy lifting, short of the hand of God Himself?" Jirou asked, still short of breath. Hikari took a couple more steps away from Mitsugi and positioned her body so she was facing away from him.

"Oh, no!" she cried in a forcedly awkward way as she looked over her shoulder. "A sudden gust of wind!" Then, the hand of God Himself went to work and created just the right gust of wind, blowing the rear of her skirt upwards and exposing her panties. Jirou froze immediately and, as designated by his male programming, took a mental picture of the panties. They were white and frilly, covered short, little, cartoony-

"Candles?" a voice asked in disbelief.

"Oh my, you've seen my panties. Whatever shall I do now?" Hikari asked. Her voice was a mix between despair, sexiness, embarrassment, and happiness. You know, the way that only girls can sound in these kinds of situations.

Jirou, feeling in no way rejuvenated or invigorated, opened his mouth to inform her of her utter failure, but then something happened. The apparent source of that other male voice rushed past Jirou, nearly pushing him over as the stranger ran towards the source of the panties.

_Hm… This never happens in manga. The male character is supposed to get a nosebleed or freeze up or something._

As Jirou tried to work out the situation in his heavily manga-influenced brain, the stranger had approached Hikari. "Y-you have candle panties! I saw them!" he exclaimed with the kind of madness that panties can bring out in men. She tried to step away from the strange pervert, but he kept pressing his body closer to her, while at the same time cutting her off from Jirou.

"Uh, um…" she stuttered, unsure of what to do.

"That's a school uniform, right? Why aren't you in class? Are you some kind of deviant? I'm totally into that kind of girl," the man explained quickly. Hikari was beginning to get scared, the adrenaline rushing through her body. "You and me should hang out…"

Like some kind of automatic targeting system, Jirou's eyes suddenly came into perfect focus as the strange guy put his arm over Hikari's shoulders, pulling her body close to his. The guy was a little shorter than Jirou, but not by much, and obviously a few years older. His jaw was square, and he had a scar above his left eyebrow. He had a thin mustache and wore a black leather jacket over a black tank top. Everything about this guy said trouble, but most of all, the look in his eyes infuriated Jirou. It was a look that was etched in Jirou's heart.

The man pushed his hand over Hikari's mouth, and she began to scream. Mitsugi was frozen, his mind unable to work, as Hikari's desperate eyes pleaded with him. However, he could only stand there, fighting with himself. The man completely ignored the fact that Jirou was behind him, watching everything. As Hikari felt the man begin to drag her away from Jirou, instinct took her over. She managed to bite the man's hand, causing him to cry out in pain.

She was released and quickly regained her footing. However, in an instant, before she could even get a step away, the man slapped her with the back of his heavy hand. Hikari fell to the ground quicker than gravity would have dictated, so great was the force of the stranger's blow. She let out a little burst of noise as she hit the concrete of the sidewalk… and then went silent.

The stranger took a quick look at his hand before reaching down for her again.

"STOP IT!" The man halted immediately, slowly turning his head to stare at Jirou. Hands balled at his sides, Jirou faced the man's increasingly murderous glare. The man stood straight again, though he could still easily kick Hikari if he so desired. As much as Mitsugi Jirou knew what to do to defuse the situation, he brain worked too fast to compile that information properly. "Don't touch her again," he warned. The man gave an exaggerated shrug.

"Or what? What can some skinny punk like you do?" the man asked angrily. He cracked his knuckles in an effort to intimidate Jirou.

"A real man… never hits a woman…"

"Eh? What did you say? I couldn't quite hear you! Punk bitch!" The man took a couple steps forward, towards Jirou and away from Hikari's unmoving body. "Who is this girl to you? Your girlfriend?" Jirou didn't respond. "Ahaha! Shit, of course not! A little punk bitch like you could never score a babe like that! Who are you to stop me from taking this girl? You must be goddamn insane!"

"You talk a lot… I'm surprised your vocabulary is that large," Jirou stated in an unwavering manner.

"What?! Do you know who I _am_?! I'm the infamous biker: Bloody Mari!"

"I've never heard of you."

"What's that?! You've never heard of the biker gang, the Alkoholicz?!" the man asked in a more and more high-pitched voice. Jirou shook his head.

His stomach was in unexpected agony. Jirou's eyes widened. He hadn't even seen the man take a swing. But, nevertheless, the man's fist was now lodged in his gut. Jirou was powerless to defend himself as the man's other fist pounded his stomach again. The pain was so great, he couldn't even make an effort to defend himself or run away.

_At least he stepped away from Hikari… In the end all I could do was provide her the time to escape._

The biker swung his fist into Mitsugi's stomach one final time before taking a step back, an insane yet satisfied smile on his face. Jirou collapsed onto his hands and knees, barely able to hold his body up. He coughed painfully. His blood spattered onto the pavement below. "Had enough? One girl can't be worth that much pain." Mitsugi wiped the blood from his mouth and smile weakly.

"You're wrong… This is nothing to me."

"What did you say?!" Jirou stood unsteadily, gingerly holding his stomach with one hand, but still stared straight at his opponent.

"I said this pain is nothing."

Jirou watched in slow-motion as the biker swung at his face. He didn't feel a lot of pain, but a dark warmth enveloped him soon enough.

---

-"e's coming around."

The voice seemed to echo around inside Jirou's head. He opened his eyes slowly and then blinked a few times to separate the colors which oozed together at first. They finally separated into their proper sequences in his brain.

"Young man, can you hear me?" Jirou tried to open his mouth to respond, but a sharp pain in his jaw hindered that action. He chose to simply nod instead. "You're at a police substation, so don't be worried. The girl who was with you is OK, too." Mitsugi sighed, prompting a smile from the police officer.

Just as he felt himself begin to lose consciousness again, he saw another officer let Hikari into the room. His brain registered her running towards him, her tear-streaked face… then faded into darkness again.

Hikari wrapped her arms around the unconscious Jirou's body. "He only stayed awake long enough for me to tell him that you were OK, then he was out like a light," one of the officers stated with a quiet chuckle. "Your boyfriend is truly a brave man, through and through." The young woman's body shook with sobs of joy and relief. The officers shared a glance and then exited the room.

"Jirou… Jirou…" was all she could say. The mixture of emotions boiling inside her heart overwhelmed her. Mitsugi Jirou… She realized that she really did not understand him at all. In her mind's eye, she remembered the day seven months earlier when her brother told her about an odd person he had encountered after school. For the next few months, nearly every day Kentaro would come home with a new story. Then the stories suddenly stopped, and Kentaro explained that Jirou was out of the country visiting his parents.

In the two months he was absent, Hikari became more and more interested in this odd, quirky person. She even began to approach her brother, who had a slight interest in psychology, with various theories about this person's behavior. After receiving news that this 'Jirou' person had returned to Japan, she spent a week watching him from afar. Whether or not all young girls have a predetermined type of male they are naturally attracted to… Well, that's a mystery. In any case she felt an immediate attachment to Jirou.

So naturally, she told her brother of the feelings beginning to simmer deep inside her. While he was neither outraged nor angered by the idea, he did provide her with a word of caution. "Don't be offended by anything he says or does," he told her. Hikari approached him on the first day of spring. She was shy at first but found him easy to talk to. She quickly broke the 'touch' barrier, much to Jirou's semi-false chagrin, and the playfulness between them had only grown.

But… She couldn't even begin to understand why he had acted in such a way.

_He put himself in extreme danger for my sake. Even though I made him carry both of my bags, even though I do nothing but annoy him and cause him discomfort… The whole situation came about because of my foolish actions. Despite these things, Jirou compromised and sacrificed his body to save me. Why? Who am I to him, that I deserve so much?_

The door to the small room burst open, and Kentaro rushed into the room. "Hikari! Are you alright?" She pulled herself away from Jirou's body and wiped her eyes.

"I'm fine… Thanks to him," she quietly explained, looking back down at the twenty year old. Kentaro sighed a heavy sigh and leaned against the wall behind him.

"Thank goodness… We already owe so much to him." Hikari sniffed and nodded slowly. "The police said someone called them reporting an attempted kidnapping, then another call about a beating in the same area. They caught that biker who assaulted you guys even before they found you both. I guess he had some priors and was immediately arrested."

"Is he related to what happened…?" Kentaro shook his head.

"The police aren't sure, and I couldn't get much more information out of them. I guess the doctor they called said Jirou would be OK after a while, but prescribed this pain killer," Kentaro continued, pulling a bottle full of pills out of his dark green school-issued jacket. "Hikari… How did this happen to you?" He immediately regretted the question when he saw her eyes well up with tears once more. "Nevermind… I guess that's not important, ya know? At least nothing worse happened."

"When… will he wake up?"

"Jirou? He's probably being affected by the medication that was used on the scene. I'll see if they can't drive us to his apartment."

---

Back on the old fifth floor, the door to the Mitsugi residence slowly opened. Kentaro immediately flipped on the main light switch, then helped the drugged and battered Jirou inside. The young man had regained consciousness, but the medication had made him extremely groggy. Hikari and a young police officer then filed in; the two heavy bags hadn't been forgotten. The young officer set them down in the foyer and then stepped outside the doorway.

"We'll contact you for witness statements later on," he explained with a tip of his hat before walking away. Hikari closed the door slowly and quietly.

Kentaro helped Jirou over to the couch, where the tall young man plopped down onto the cushions without further ceremony. Ken took a short look at his sister before letting his body finally relax. "I'm going to take a shower," he stated, the toll of the past couple days' events showing on his face.

As the door to the bathroom closed, Hikari's eyes fell to Jirou once more. The apartment was completely silent, aside from the sound of running water. He must have noticed her, because he weakly gestured for her to sit next to him. She did so, but kept her distance. He lazily twisted his head to look at her and smiled, though it was a little malformed because of the huge bruise on his left cheek.

"Jirou-chii… I… I'm so sorry all this happened… It's my fault…" she whispered, again feeling the tears coming.

"You're one shtep closher to adulthood now," he slurred. Her eyes widened. "Da female body ish a double-edged shword. Use it wisely. What I did today was a natural reaction…" His eyes became glassy, but he was able to continue talking. "When I was in junior high, my mother's youngest sister… who was only a couple years older than me… was abused by an older boyfriend she had. Ever since then, I can't stand it when women are mistreated… Sho you she… I would have done that… for any woman… Well…" He paused and smiled at her, though it pained him to do so. "Maybe… that'sh a bit of a lie…"

"Oh, Jirou-chii, I…"

"Jirou."

"Eh?"

"Please just call me Jirou." Tears began to fall from Hikari's eyes once again, so she pushed her face into Jirou's chest. By the time Kentaro had finished his shower, he found the two of them asleep together on the couch. He found the scene saddening yet touching and let them be.

Thus ended the first day of the rest of their lives.

---

On a lovely late-spring afternoon, Mitsugi Jirou sat on his most favorite of benches, staring out into the cloudless blue sky above. It had been two days since he had taken that beating. The left side of his face was still very bruised, but the swelling had gone down significantly. A great number of high school students passed by him without a second glance, but today he didn't care. Wearing a light blue Diesel T-shirt (and the same pair of blue jeans which he treasured so much), he was waiting on his friends.

_Though it's a little pathetic that it has been so long since I've been able to say that. Two years ago… Back when skipping class to hang out was more exciting than the thought of finishing college and starting my career. But if I'd done that, I wouldn't be here right now!_

"Jiroooou!" His attention immediately fell to the form of a girl running towards him, her hand waving in the air. He smiled widely, though it wasn't forced like it had been for so long. He actually felt genuinely happy to see her.

"What's up?" he asked in a contently. She took a couple deep breaths and sat down next to him, pulling something out of her backpack.

"A special issue," she explained. "My story about what happened made the front page." Jirou wondered if it was because of the events that had occurred in the past few days, but Hikari's usual hyperactivity had been toned down.

"That's wonderful. Too bad you had to go through so much," he pointed out. She shook her head and smiled back at him.

"Like you said, it's just a part of growing up."

"So?" Jirou asked as he held out a hand.

"What?"

"Can I read your article?" Hikari suddenly held the newspaper close to her body and recoiled a little. "What're you doing?"

"Uh, well, you see…" Her face became progressively redder. "I had to change some of the facts…"

"And?" he deadpanned. She pressed her two index fingers together and averted her eyes from his gaze.

"You see… it's a little strange, in the ignorant public's perception anyway, for a sixteen year old girl to be living with a twenty year old man who is of no blood relation… So, you see… I _had _to change a couple things…"

"I was edited out, in other words."

"Basically… Please, though, don't be angry with me! It was only-"

"I went to high school once, ya know," he stated in a controlled tone. "I understand how important your image is, especially when surrounded by your peers. Explaining everything in some huge disclaimer would have ruined your article. Don't think I'm angry or anything."

"Well, you weren't _totally_ edited out."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"Uh… Maybe you should just look." She unclamped the newspaper and slowly handed it to Jirou. He took it and read the headline slowly.

'MYSTERIOUS TALL STRANGER SAVES LOCAL STUDENT'

"It seems," Hikari explained sheepishly, "that someone took a photo of the three of us leaving the police substation. Rather than put myself into such a compromising position… I kinda wrote that you just happened to be walking by, and I had no idea who you were."

"But then, what happens if-"

Once again, the hand of God Himself stepped in. A large group of students was suddenly swarming around Jirou's sacred bench. They appeared out of nowhere, like so many ninjas. Many of them had the same newspaper in their hands, looking back and forth from the picture on the front page to Hikari and Jirou. A collective roar rose after someone yelled, "Hey, he's the _mysterious tall stranger_!"

All at once the students began shouting questions and comments. Whether due to his painkillers or because he was surrounded by so many bodies, Jirou began to get dizzy. Hikari simply squeezed her eyes shut and covered her ears. Soon the truth would be told, and her happy school life would become a hellish nightmare.

As quickly as it began, though, the clamor died away. A path began to form in the back of the crowd, slowly leading towards the bench. Jirou expected Kentaro appear from between the masses, but was dismayed to discover that a group of three girls had spearheaded the movement.

_Now this is something that I may recognize. These three are probably… the student council president and her minions._

The girl in the center of the group was tall, though as Jirou stood up he realized she wasn't nearly as tall as him. Her blond hair was extremely long- down to her waist- and styled perfectly. Her body was probably as curvy as any high school student Jirou had ever seen, in real life anyway. Her school uniform showed off her long legs. Her mannerisms screamed out 'rich girl' as well.

"I am Wakamiya Fumika, student council president as well as president of the Journalism Club," she explained politely. Her voice was smooth and refined, as expected, but had a sense of modesty to it. "Thank you for saving our club member. We've gone through a difficult time in the past week," she added with a hint of sadness. "Please accept my heartfelt apology for any trouble Tanaka-san has caused." With these words, the president took a deep bow, causing the crowd to gasp in surprise.

"Oh, well… It was nothing, really… Anyone would have done the same…" A small smile grew on Fumika's face.

"Your name is? I feel strange referring to you as 'mysterious stranger'," she admitted with a giggle.

"O-oh, my name, right…" He glanced down at Hikari, who looked to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown. "Well, I'm not really a good liar, so I'll tell you all the truth to keep the matters simple." He noticed Hikari covering her hands with her face.

_Sorry, Hikari-chan, but this can only be called payment for saving you._

"I'm Mitsugi Jirou. I'm seventeen years old, but because I have moved back and forth from Japan to America my whole life, I am only classified as a second-year student. Pleased to meet you," he explained with a wide grin.

Then his manga-influenced brain took his charade just one step too far.

"I'm sure you all have a lot of questions about what happened, but I can answer them all in time," he declared to the crowd. "Though I was unsure before, I've decided to choose this school as the institution where I will finish my secondary education, beginning with the new school year."

Just as this information was relayed through the swarm of students, Kentaro had finally gotten close enough to the crowd's center to hear what was said. His face paled for just a moment, but he quickly recovered. The crowd broke out into cries of happiness and laughter as Jirou shook Fumika's hand.

_Jirou-senpai has really done it now. He may have been trying to save Hikari the embarrassment of being caught in a lie, but that was perhaps too much. Well, knowing him like I do, this sure is an interesting development!_

End of Chapter 02.

Author's afternotes: So, here we are again! This chapter went as such: comedy, drama, drama… A bit more serious than chapter 01, huh? The change of tone was intentional. The three characters are even closer now, which I felt was important to the story from this point out. You may think that I ignored/forgot about the mysterious email, but I haven't. The chapter is really only five scenes, but by the end I accomplished my goal of explaining how the main conflict of the story will pan out. We all, at some point, wish we could go back to high school… But that wish usually passes quite quickly. Poor Jirou… and poor Hikari!


	3. Burnt Lunch

Title: Free Lunch  
Started: 11.29.06 19:37  
Finished: 12.11.06 14:38  
Author: Sakurai Senzou, the Merines

… denotes narration  
--- denotes a change of time and/or scenery  
Italicized are thoughts.

Oh, it's been decided. The narration VA should be read with Mugihito's voice. Also, the whole "slice of life" thing hasn't panned out as I had planned. Thusly, drama has made its way to the forefront.

---

"Jirou-senpai, honestly," Kentaro said with a hearty chuckle, "how did you come up with such an excuse?" The taller man smiled in a goofy way and shrugged his shoulders. His hands were buried deep in his pockets, as they usually were, as the three of them walked towards his apartment. Jirou walked between the twins; Hikari on his right and Kentaro on his left.

"It just kinda came to me," Jirou explained.

"I cannot _believe_ you said something like that!" Hikari exclaimed, her voice showing a hint of frustration.

"What's the big problem? My little lie totally explained away the facts that you had omitted from your article. None of them will ever see me again, so I don't see why you're upset at all."

"It's not that simple, Jirou," Hikari sighed. Though she felt strange not calling him with any honorific title, it also made complete sense in her mind. It just felt right, for whatever reason.

"She's probably right," added Kentaro. Jirou's smile faded just a bit. If Ken agreed, it added another layer of validation to her objection.

"I guess I _don't_ understand," admitted Jirou.

"You weren't in any clubs during high school, were you, senpai?"

"No; the trips I made to America with my parents didn't really allow me to get involved with any group activities. _That_ part of my explanation wasn't a lie."

"Well, our school's Journalism Club is particularly… I guess 'vicious' is the right word to describe it," Kentaro explained.

"Eh? How so?"

"Remember that city council member who was caught cheating on his taxes last year?" Hikari asked. Jirou nodded, though his eyes betrayed a sense of confusion. "It was our school's Journalism Club who discovered it. They also discovered that he was cheating in another way-"

"-on his wife-," Kentaro added.

"-but a large donation was made to the school, so that _particular_ issue was dismissed." Jirou's eyes widened.

"Blackmail, huh? Jeez, I had no idea high school clubs were so… Wow."

"So you see… your little exaggeration will have huge implications for Hikari, especially if they find out who you really are. More than likely, the truth would be uncovered. Hikari would be thrown out of the club and probably ostracized by the entire school," Kentaro explained in a casual way that alarmed Jirou.

"So how come you didn't stop me?" Jirou asked, turning to Hikari. She avoided his gaze immediately, looking down at her feet instead. A hushed redness began creeping into her cheeks.

"Well… I guess I was too embarrassed by the whole situation to do anything at the time… But after my mind cleared, I suppose I thought it might be exciting if Jirou was suddenly thrust into a high school situation again," Hikari said with a little giggle.

"Huh?"

"Well, you know… It might be good for you."

"Why? I passed all my classes, even though I only attended class for two-thirds of the year. There's no point, really…" he trailed off, suddenly distracted by an attractive woman on the other side of the street.

"What she's saying is that it may be good for your emotional growth; your _social_ intelligence," Kentaro bluntly explained. "Plus you don't really look twenty, so you could probably pass as a second-year student quite easily."

Jirou stopped dead in his tracks. The twins took a few steps more before realizing they'd lost him. They turned to find him standing there, shoulders slumped even more than usual, his head held low. A quiet gust of wind blew a stray leaf past his position. Kentaro and Hikari shared a skeptical look.

"Senpai is really over-dramatic, isn't he?" Kentaro whispered.

"It's no wonder he acts that way; all of his social experience comes from the things he reads in manga," Hikari added, also whispering.

"I can hear you, ya know," Jirou deadpanned.

…

Mitsugi Jirou likes to think that his life is similar to a manga. However, in reality, all actions have repercussions. The school year comes to a close, leaving three weeks for Jirou to make a decision. His time, though, is precious.

Chapter 03: Burnt Lunch

…

"OK, I get it! You both think it would be a good idea for me to go back to high school!" Jirou shouted, poorly masking his frustration. He shoved himself further down into his couch. A content smile on her face, Hikari nodded and continued reading some fashion magazine. Kentaro was studying on the table behind the couch.

"Maybe the three of us would be placed in the same class," he stated, his voice full of anticipation. "Wouldn't that be awesome?"

"I never agreed to _anything_," Jirou reminded. "Keep in mind that I have records on file at the Ministry of Education as well as Kyoto University. Not to mention the fact that I don't really have the funds for tuition, uniforms, books and all that."

"You don't have to worry about those things!" Hikari piped up. "Because of that 'large donation' we mentioned earlier, all students are able to get those items for free until 2017. Scratch that problem off your list of objections, Jirou!"

"I don't have any business going back to high school. If anything, I should be concentrating on getting back into college," Jirou pouted.

"What kind of decent university would accept someone who dropped out once already?" Kentaro asked without looking up from his textbook.

"Well… I can take classes at a lower-ranking school and then use that as leverage…"

"So? Why haven't you done that in the past two years?" A silence descended on the small apartment. Jirou's eyes narrowed and fell to the floor.

_I've asked myself that same question so many times that I can't even answer anymore. It's more than simple laziness… I've even wondered if I'm maybe afraid of success. I've considered the fact that living as a NEET is far too comfortable to abandon. In the end… I don't really understand it myself._

"Your silence says it all, Jirou-senpai," Hikari yawned.

"I have ties with both the Art and Computer clubs, so I'm sure they can come up with a passable student I.D. for you," her brother added. "Even if you get exposed, you can just pass it off as an experiment or research for some kind of project. I'm sure that's not _too_ unbelievable." Jirou remained quiet, his face clouded by doubt.

"Well, the semester's almost over, so you've got a few weeks to think about it. Don't worry about it too much."

"Hmm? Oh… yeah."

The rest of the night was unusually devoid of conversation. Both of the two younger humans were busy studying for their final exams. Jirou's mind was filled with simulations of just how he could react to the situation in which he found himself stuck. Hikari found it hard to concentrate. She kept thinking about Jirou's indecision. The fact that he _was_ indecisive didn't bother her; it was the fact that she had never seen him be anything but confident. As far as she could recall, Mitsugi Jirou had never seemed unsure about anything.

_Although I guess it's only natural. Maybe Kentaro and I were too blunt in our argument… Calling him emotionally stunted, while true, must have been a shock to him. From what I can tell, Ken and me are the only people he's had any real contact with for at least a year. By the way he talks, Jirou knows he isn't exactly a normal person, but was he really under the impression that he could simply live this way forever?_

---

As the clock marched past midnight, Jirou felt more tired than usual. With Hikari sleeping on the couch and Kentaro on his futon, he had been relegated to taking naps while they were at school. He quickly found out, though, that it was a poor substitute for a good night's sleep. Jirou's body had begun aching from falling asleep on his hard wood floor.

_I wonder just how long these kids will stay here… Not that I'm not enjoying this, but if it's going to be too much longer, I should probably invest in another futon._

After deciding he would go shopping for another futon the following day, he quickly enveloped himself in the world of a dating-sim. Unfortunately, a 'bad end' cropped up rather quickly, and Jirou lost the will to play anymore. He went into the bathroom and shaved whatever stray facial hairs had popped up during the day, taking a long look at himself in the mirror.

_I guess I really don't look like I'm twenty years old. It's true that I always get carded when I buy beer… Maybe I could pass as a seventeen year old? No, no, no… High school was absolutely miserable. Because I spent three months of every year in America, I was never around long enough to make any friends. No one wanted to get close to me._

Feeling rather depressed, Mitsugi returned to his laptop. His eyes narrowed as he tried to concentrate his tired brain on the screen's contents. That same email address, which mistakenly had sent him an email before, once more appeared.

'From there! Regretfully, something has come up on my end. I wasn't able to meet you yet. I'll contact you again when I get another chance to visit Japan. I simply cannot wait to share a lunch with you again! Hopefully you feel the same way.'

_Jeez, this is kind of annoying. Maybe I should reply. I'll set up a dummy account first and forward it through my real one, which this person keeps mailing. That way I can still keep some level of anonymity._

For a professional internet surfer like Jirou, this was a piece of cake.

'From senzo.freelunch

I've received two emails from you now (attached) which I believe have been sent to me by mistake. Please try to contact the person you've been trying to contact by other means to verify their email. I'm sure sharing a lunch with you would be great, but since I have no idea who you are, it may be a little awkward. Thanks for your understanding.'

He leaned back from his laptop and read the contents back to himself before pressing the 'Send' button. Almost immediately and prompting a jump from Jirou, his cell phone began buzzing on the tabletop. He hesitated for a moment before checking the caller ID. He breathed a sigh of relief when he discovered that it was his mother's cell number. Jirou stepped outside quietly so the conversation wouldn't bother the twins.

"Hello?"

"Jirou, is that you?" the voice asked after a second of time delay.

"Who _else_ would it be? Hi, mom," he said sarcastically. Jirou leaned against the wall in front of his apartment and shoved his free hand in his pocket. "You do realize that it's past midnight here, right?"

"_You're_ the one who's awake at this late hour," his mom chastised. "Don't you have class tomorrow morning?"

"Uh, actually it's not until the afternoon on Fridays…" he lied.

_Jeez… I'd forgotten that my parents still think I'm in school. It's not hard to keep the lie going since they are never around, but I still feel guilty._

"Well, since the semester is ending after next week, why don't you fly over here for a week or two?"

"Mom, I just got back a couple months ago."

"You know that we can't leave."

"Don't you have some kind of vacation schedule at work?"

"No. Both your father and I are important and necessary factors to getting business done. So, how about it?" An idea began forming in Jirou's mind.

"Well…"

"I miss you, son…"

"I do have one condition."

"Condition?" Jirou smiled mischievously. "Why do I get the impression that you're smiling?"

"You know me way too well, mom… Anyway, you know that school I've been at as a teacher's aid?" he lied once more.

"Let's see… I think so…"

"There's a couple of students who have had some hard times lately. Their parents are also overseas on business, so I guess I would be able to come and visit if they could come with."

"How many?" his mother's voice asked indifferently.

"Just two. They're twins, brother and sister," he explained. His mother sighed, though over the cell phone it sounded like interference.

"That'd be OK. I'll have the airline send the tickets to your email; you still have the same one, right?"

"Of course."

"Well, you went through that phase where you changed it every couple months, and I just couldn't ever get in contact with you." He decided not to respond. "So I'll do that. Call me if anything changes. I'll have someone waiting at the airport for you and your students."

"Uh, right. See you then."

"Bye, honey." He ended the call and sighed.

"Sorry, mom…"

---

Kentaro left the school without hurry. The day had been long, filled with the first parts of his final exams. Of course he would undoubtedly pass them and progress on to the next grade, but the act of test-taking was difficult for him.

_But I got through the day OK. The rest of the week won't be too bad, I guess._

His thoughts quickly turned to Jirou as he approached the bench, but he halted as soon as it came into view. Wakamiya Fumika, the student council president and most beautiful girl (voted two consecutive years running) in school, was sitting next to Kentaro's senpai. Ken realized that this was a momentous occasion, as did a large number of other passing students who stared as they walked by, or stopped completely.

The student council usually spent their time meeting after school, organizing events or whatever. And by "usually," that meant all the time. Being in the student council was the single most time consuming club activity. Yet, here the president was, only a few minutes after the last bell, casually chatting with someone she had only met the day before.

_She must have run as fast as she could! I was initially interested in Jirou because he's so freakin' weird… Maybe the president feels that same kind of interest because he heroically saved Hikari? High-maintenance girls like her are usually attracted to those heroic types. Or maybe she's trying to recruit him for next semester, which would be a huge honor…_

"Hey, you." Kentaro turned slowly to face his approaching sister. "What's up?" He shrugged.

"Nothing much. Jirou-senpai has apparently caught the student council president's eye," he explained casually. After a moment of silence he added, "Does that bother you at all?" Hikari looked confused. "Well, you know… Another girl talking to the guy you like…"

"Oh, you mean to ask if I feel jealous?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Yeah, I guess. I don't want to see you get your feelings hurt…"

"Jeez, brother, I'm not a little kid," she grumbled. "Once she and everyone else gets to know Jirou, I'm sure things will settle down. I mean, he's not exactly the most social person on Earth. The relationship we have is-"

"Oh, 'relationship'? I think that'd be news to him," Kentaro chuckled before being punched in the shoulder.

"Don't misinterpret! You know I like him… and it's true he has been exceptionally kind towards both of us, and that he saved me from that situation… However, I don't think Jirou's actions reflect anything beyond friendship."

"I see… So you wonder if he even realizes that you like him?" She nodded stiffly, blushing a little. "Well, there's no guessing what goes on in that brain of his. I wouldn't worry about it too much. If it's meant to be, then it's meant to be. Don't give up just because of these things." Both of them turned and looked at Jirou. Even from a distance, they could tell he was extremely uncomfortable as the president rambled on and on.

"Let's abandon him this time," Hikari mischievously suggested. "Helping him would only make him rely on us for social support."

"You're being rather cold-hearted today," her brother said with a smile. "In that case, I received notice that we could return to the house. We can't keep imposing on his lifestyle forever, ya know? We'll pick up our stuff from his apartment after finals week."

The Tanakas took a final glance towards their friend before leaving.

_Even if I like him… maybe it's an impossible goal,_ Hikari thought. _Even if he is so nice to us, even if he lets me hang around and pester him, even if he saved me… My interpretation of his actions are probably totally different from his. Is this hopeless?_

---

Seven hours later, Hikari had made a decision. Even though it was finals week, she ventured out into the city at almost midnight. Her mind was set.

_Jirou… Jirou! … I'll confess my love to you, no matter what._

She finally reached his apartment building and stopped for a moment to catch her breath. Hikari heard the unexpected shuffle of two people walking towards her. The incident from the other day still fresh in her mind, she ducked behind the hedges which lines the sidewalk. Through the bushes she could make out two men walking by. Both of them seemed to be rather large.

"So that punk wasn't home?" one asked the other in a gruff voice.

"It doesn't appear so," responded a silky but deadly one. "But he'll be in for a surprise when he does."

"Damn! I wanted to teach him a lesson!" the gruff one yelled as he cracked his knuckles. "At least we were paid in advance."

"That's for sure. We'll show everyone what happens when you mess with us." The two shared a mean-spirited laugh and continued past Hikari's position. After a moment she peeked out at the men. The backs of their jackets… She'd seen them somewhere before… A single bottle of red sake… Horror gripped her heart when she remembered.

_That same biker gang?! Oh my God… Did they come to beat up Jirou? Or to…_ She shook her head at the very thought. Reaching into her purse, the sinking feeling in her heart only grew worse. _My cell… I forgot it at home?! I can't contact Jirou or Kentaro or the police… That one said something about a 'surprise' when Jirou came home._

Tanaka Hikari's mind was locked. More than anything she wanted to find Jirou and warn him, but at the same time she knew the smart thing to do would be to contact the police. However, there was the chance that Jirou would come home while she went to a substation.

_Damnit… This is all because of that stupid decision I made in the park… How was I supposed to know some yakuza biker guy would be there?! Why are all of these bad things happening so suddenly? What could they have done to his apartment that would…_

She shook her head and tried to think clearly. Hikari decided that, even if something happened, it would be best to inform the police. At least then there would be some measure of protection if something _did_ happen. With that, she bolted to the nearest police substation, which happened to be the same one they had been taken to after the incident before. The two officers recognized her immediately.

"Young lady, what's the matter?" the older one asked. He immediately recognized the frightened look in her eyes. "Is that gang after you again?" She shook her head, still panting from the run.

"Then, that guy who saved you?" the younger officer deduced, though his tone was less tense than his partner's. She nodded. He looked at his partner. "I'll bring up that one's information and put out an APB, you find out what's wrong!" he yelled as he disappeared back into the substation. The wizened old man placed a hand on Hikari's shoulder in an effort to comfort her.

"Whatever's happened, you'll be OK. Understand?" he asked in a more calm tone. Once more she shook her head. "Eh?"

"It's not… me that I'm worried about… They said… his apartment… surprise waiting…" she explained between gasps of air. The officer immediately drew some information from his memory.

"That biker gang has worked with the yakuza in the past. Do you really think they would?"

"Sir! Here's his info!" The elder grabbed the report in one hand and his radio's mic in the other.

"This is substation 26-B; we have an emergency situation! Reason to believe that a man is being targeted; send reinforcements and a bomb squad to this address-"

Hikari didn't hear the rest. As it happened she turned slowly… The bright orange lit up the sky even before the sound of the explosion reached her. Both policemen rushed out of the station, slackjawed. "There's been an explosion! It's from the direction of that apartment complex! Get an ambulance over there **now**!"

Everything moved in slow motion for Hikari. Eyes wide, she watched the dark sky glow orange from the fire. The two police officers told her to stay put before rushing away in their car.

_I… If' I'd only stayed there for a couple minutes… He'd… Jirou would be…_

It was all she could think. Jirou had to be dead.

Unable to cope with what had happened, Hikari managed to pull her body into the substation before she lost control. Kentaro was there in less than ten minutes. Apparently it was all over the news. An eyewitness had seen a young man, positively ID'd as Mitsugi Jirou, enter the apartment building three minutes before the explosion. It had been on the fifth floor, in the apartment which had also been rented to Mitsugi Jirou. According to the building manager, none of the apartments around his were currently occupied.

He was suspected to have been killed in the explosion. It was too soon for investigators to know anything definite. Detectives came to the substation soon afterward, though Hikari was of little help. She explained what she had seen, the two men and their conversation. Due to this, they were assigned armed guards. The Tanakas were escorted home in short order.

For the second time in a week, Hikari cried herself to sleep. Although it was past three a.m. by the time they got home, Kentaro was completely unable to sleep. His mind was filled, overflowing with different thoughts of his senior. He was filled with regret, though he knew his sister's was probably worse by an order of magnitude.

_Jirou-senpai… I never knew that watching you squirm next to the student council president would be the last time I saw you. Are you really dead? All you did was protect Hikari from some prevent biker. It's not like you killed that guy, or even injured him. You didn't even embarrass him; you're the one who got your ass kicked. So why… Why did they have you killed?_

The whole situation was bothersome to Kentaro. Granted, he didn't know much about bikers, gangs or yakuza, but things just didn't add up. He ended up staying awake all night. The next day at school was pure torture for both of them. Every free moment they had was filled with people asking about Jirou's condition, why his apartment was targeted… Kentaro ended up losing control and giving in to anger, which didn't exactly help his already pathetic reputation. After they realized that Hikari was completely distraught, the girls of their class converged to try and console her.

After school they were both taken to the district's main police building. The rest of the evening was taken up with interrogations. By the time they got home, both Kentaro and Hikari were emotionally exhausted. Hikari retired to her room the minute immediately, closing the door behind her. Kentaro took a seat on the living room couch and simply stared out at the dark city.

He stared for what turned out to be three hours before his cell phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number, but Kentaro figured it might be the police and answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Is this… uh, you were staying with Jirou, right?" a woman's voice asked.

"Eh… Who is this?" he asked, suspicious.

"Oh my, where are my manners? I'm Mitsugi Ako, Jirou's mother." The tension that had been rising in his body drained away.

"J-jirou-senpai's mother? I… I suppose you've heard by now…"

"Yes, I have," she responded with a sigh. "He'll be so sad that all that manga he'd accumulated was burned."

"Excuse me?"

"Jirou. He still has that unhealthy habit of reading all that manga, right? He thought we didn't know."

"Well, he _did_… I'm not sure you've been told everything."

"Oh no, both his father and I were contacted just a few hours ago by the Japanese police." Kentaro wondered if she was in denial. "In any case don't be surprised if he imposes on you. Please give him the help he needs until we can sort things out. Goodbye!" Before he could object, the line was dead.

_What the hell was she talking about?_

He expected a knock on the door, but none ever came.

---

Kentaro's eyes cracked open. It took his brain a moment to come up to speed, but he realized that there was a thunderstorm going on outside. Lightning crashed down all over the city, some of the striking quite close to the house. Suddenly all of the lights in the city went dead. The high-rise buildings all faded into the black sky, only illuminated as the lightning struck. Hikari wandered out of her room, walking slowly and carefully.

"It's a blackout," Kentaro noted.

"Yeah," she replied, too tired to state the obviousness of his words.

"Are you scared?"

"No…" As she spoke the house was filled with a loud boom, and bright white light poured through all the windows. Kentaro instinctively covered his eyes, barely able to make out Hikari's scream over the din.

After almost a minute, the ringing in his ears died away. His body felt like it was tingling. As he reached over to try to turn on the lamp next to the couch, a bolt of electricity jumped from his fingertips to the metal of the light stand. The light bulb illuminated for a few seconds, then died away once more. Kentaro stared in wonder at his hand once his eyes adjusted to the darkness.

"Was the house… Struck by lightning?" Hikari whispered. He nodded slowly.

"Must have."

"At least it seems like it's over." True enough, the sounds of rolling thunder seemed distant now. A single quick knock came from the front door. Kentaro stood and walked to the door.

"It must be the police who were watching the house, checking up on us," he explained to his wide-eyed sister. He opened the door and immediately felt a weight pushing against his body. He took a step back to steady himself as he struggled to hold this extra weight. He had closed his eyes tightly, probably thinking he was being attacked. The sharp gasp from Hikari only added to his fright.

However, after the initial pressure, there was no more. He felt like he was holding a tall bag of rice. He finally opened his eyes and found Hikari trying to help him with the burden. Kentaro finally realized it; he was holding up a human body. It was too dark to see anything, so he assumed that the officer had been shocked when he tried to approach the house. The two carried the body into their home and rested in on the couch.

"Are you OK?" Kentaro asked. He smelled ashes and what seemed to be gasoline.

"Mmmm…" the raspy voice answered.

"Hikari, would you get some water?"

"R-right!" He heard her footsteps as she went towards the kitchen.

"You'll be alright, just hang in there." Kentaro stood and went to close the front door. He quickly turned about face when he heard glass shattering against the floor. Hikari's hands were covering her mouth, tears once again streaming from her eyes. Kentaro began preparing himself for the grim reality of facing the fact that the officer had been killed by their house's electrical discharge.

However, he was wrong.

On their couch, his body smouldering, was none other than Mitsugi Jirou.

Kentaro tried to speak, to call out, but his voice was stuck in his throat. Jirou's body appeared to be covered in burns, and his clothes were covered in blood. Ken realized that Jirou was holding his right hand close to his body, but upon further examination… he came to the conclusion that there _was no hand attached to the wrist_.

The twins were both frozen where they stood, Hikari's crying the only sound.

"I have some… explaining…" Jirou's voice finally stated, smoke rolling from his mouth when he opened it. "Don't call anyone."

"B-b-but you… you're covered in burns… and your hand…" Kentaro whispered, unable to force any power into his voice.

"If the two of you… are here with me… I'll recover… so please…" The voice didn't even appear to come from Jirou's mouth, but from the whole room. "Trust me…"

…

As Kentaro and Hikari force themselves to comply with Jirou's commands, both of them are filled with questions. Mitsugi Jirou was not dead. How he was alive, and what had happened in the past twenty-four hours, were answered to which the twins anxiously waited, though they were afraid to even ask the questions. How is he alive? Why is he refusing medical help? How did he get into the house? What meaning was held in his mother's mysterious words?

…

End of Chapter 3.

Postnote: So, a cliffhanger. No doubt you're confused. Answers will come in chapter 4.  
P.S.: I'm posting this without really looking over the chapter, so there may be some errors. I'll fix them as I see them. Sorry!


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